Chapter 322
Chapter 322
Chapter 322
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 322
Early March, in the Kingdom of Aetherthalan — Royal Capital, Ghedalia.
This forest capital looked like a newly unveiled painting, its heavy winter curtain finally lifted, revealing the serenity and freshness of early spring. The cobblestone streets, freshly freed from snow and ice, were still damp and glistened under the midday sun.
The city’s lakes were awakening, ripples stirring on their surfaces. Occasionally a few petals would drift down with the breeze, gently touching the water, while tree branches swayed and carried the faint smell of fresh grass into the air.
By the side of one of these lakes stood a temple encircled by ancient trees. Inside, soft chanting of the priests occasionally echoed, blending harmoniously with birdsong and the faint buzzing of insects. It was as if nature itself had joined in a sacred symphony.
Deep inside the grand hall stood an enormous bookshelf that almost reached the ceiling. The spines of many books were worn yellow by time, though some were still perfectly preserved.
There, standing not far from the bookshelf, was the Ice Witch. Her figure was bathed in natural light, her long gown fluttering like drifting snowflakes — pure and noble.
“As a spy, you must always stay calm — that’s a saying everyone knows well.”
This was her final advice to Huperion before her departure from the temple.
For if one grew lazy, careless, or lost composure, not even the Goddess of Fate could help.
“This card — I hope it will protect you on my behalf.”
The Ice Witch handed Huperion a pink, frost-covered sacred magic card.
Their voices echoed through the snow-white temple hall.
Huperion nodded solemnly and accepted the card, feeling the familiar and gentle magic power radiating from it.
This was a spell the Ice Witch had promised to craft for her — one that Huperion could never have learned on her own no matter how long she studied.
“Teacher Almis, thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
Huperion bowed sincerely, her gratitude genuine.
“Be strong. No matter what happens, when you go to the Protos Empire, make your safety your top priority.”
The Ice Witch embraced Huperion softly.
During this time together, she had come to regard Huperion as her most precious disciple.
At first, because of Huperion’s origins, Almis had considered keeping some distance.
But in the end, she was convinced that Huperion was a girl of pure sincerity — one who, despite her demonic bloodline’s natural toughness and coldness, showed only honesty and warmth in her gaze toward those she cared about.
“It seems you have an Epic Card with you. I don’t know what its effect is, but the more trump cards you have, the more at ease I am.”
The Ice Witch smiled faintly.
“No… it isn’t mine. Lan Qi lent it to me.”
Huperion replied after a moment’s thought.
“An Epic Card can be lent?”
Almis blinked, slightly surprised.
Pink Sacred Cards and orange Epic Cards normally could not be exchanged freely — the pink ones were soul-bound and difficult to unbind, while the orange epic-grade cards could not be unbound at all.
Unless the card was a special automatic trigger type, lending it would normally make it unusable.
“This card is a bit special. She can summon herself even without Lan Qi’s help — she acts according to her own will. But she can be dangerous, which is why I haven’t summoned her inside the temple.”
Huperion explained.
“Can I take a look at it?”
The Ice Witch asked curiously.
Huperion nodded and produced a semi-transparent orange card that carried a faint floral fragrance — [The Poet of Great Love].
“Poet of Great Love, come out for a moment.”
She called to the card.
No response.
“Lanfu?”
She called again, twice, yet the Poet of Great Love did not appear.
Huperion was confused.
Normally, whenever she summoned her at home, she would joyfully appear — but this time she remained silent, as if afraid of the Ice Witch and unwilling to be seen.
But then, for a sentient magic card, it was natural to be cautious in front of a high-ranking Magus-Crafter — to them, such a person might as well be a “top-tier disassembly machine.”
“It’s fine. Intelligent summons being afraid of strange magus-crafters is normal. I just didn’t expect a demon-type summon to be so timid.”
The Ice Witch commented, still observing the card with a curious expression.
Even she could not fully decipher the card’s structure.
“Who’s afraid of you? I just don’t want you to behold my peerless beauty.”
Suddenly, The Poet of Great Love manifested — hands covering her face, slightly hunched.
If Lan Qi hadn’t reminded her before departure not to reveal her face to anyone in the northern continent, especially demons, she would never have cowered before this woman.
Even though she didn’t know Lan Qi’s exact reasoning, she had a good guess — perhaps Talia had been a well-known figure in the north, and since The Poet of Great Love looked nearly identical to her, revealing herself could cause unwanted trouble.
Huperion didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh at the sight of the poet’s ridiculous posture.
“How beautiful could you possibly be?”
The Ice Witch even found it amusing — she had never met such a cowardly yet sharp-tongued summon before.
But when she heard the poet’s provocative tone, she couldn’t resist firing back.
“Hmph! I’m far prettier than you — you… you cutting board!”
The Poet of Great Love finally spoke with a proud smirk, lowering her hands just enough to glare.
The Ice Witch froze, then quickly understood the insult.
She inhaled deeply.
“I won’t stoop to your level, but I’ll tell you this — no matter how beautiful you may be, with a personality like yours, no one in this world will ever truly love you.”
The Ice Witch’s voice was cold.
The Poet of Great Love trembled with anger, seemingly ready to argue, but before the fight could escalate, Huperion rushed to stand between them.
“Lanfu, calm down!”
She hadn’t expected Almis and the poet’s personalities to clash this hard — one meeting and they were already at each other’s throats.
“Hmph! Lan Qi may say the woman who looks like me is cold, fierce, and old — but I am not her. I have both beauty and charm!”
She spat out the words, then turned back into a card with a snap.
Huperion let out a long breath, breaking into a cold sweat.
She knew the poet was mocking Talia, but had worded it so it also insulted the Ice Witch.
Thankfully, this was the northern continent — if Talia’s acquaintances had been present to hear this, Huperion would have suspected that the poet was actively trying to get Lan Qi killed!
“I’m sorry, Teacher Almis — Lanfu has always been spoiled.”
Huperion bowed her head apologetically.
“It’s fine. My fault for trying to reason with a demon summon.”
The Ice Witch shook her head, and in the instant the poet vanished, she finally understood what the summon’s effect truly was — even she had been influenced by its magic of song and charm.